Moon Trance (Book 2): Beginning Again
by momonigiri
Summary: After everything Elanna Hawke has had to endure, will she be strong enough to pick up the shattered pieces of her life and learn to live again? (Direct sequel to Moon Trance: Shatterpoint; rated 'M' for a reason)
1. Broken

**_A/N: It's finally here! Yes, the sequel I've been meaning to start on for ages is finally here! Welcome to Book 2 of my 'Moon Trance' series. I have been busy with updating my other DA2 fic as well as going back through the first book and covering up some plot holes I had discovered...it's always a work in progress with my stuff... ^.^;;_**

**_If you haven't read the first installment, I suggest you do that now since this story relies heavily on past AU events. I'm going in a different direction with this sequel as I feel I need to work on my romance writing a bit more (while trying not to go overboard, of course!) _**

**_Thank you very much to all of my loyal readers over the months who have stuck by me through thick and thin. I love you all, and if I could send you all freshly baked cookies, I would! Enjoy and review if you'd like!_**

**Tevene vocabulary: Festis bei umo canavarum= 'You will be the death of me.'; Fasta vass= a swear word**

* * *

**-Elanna-**

* * *

An ink droplet fell like a black tear from a feathered quill, and spread along the veins of a journal's page like a cancer. The quill hung in still suspension, waiting for the hand that held it to sweep it across the page in a meaningful fashion, waiting for it to be given a purpose. But, the hand never touched the page- - - it remained still as if devoid of life. A woman blinked back the pain felt by throbbing temples, her long lashes brushing against her cheek and accentuating her large, round eyes.

Elanna Hawke plunged her writing instrument into the liquid haphazardly, sending flecks of black ink to splatter on the rough, wooden, writing desk. She tried again, the quill hovering close to the page. Another ink blot spilled onto the blank, yellow parchment.

Again.

_Drip_.

Again.

_Drop._

Soon the page was covered in pools of blank ink.

Staring down in front of her, Elanna could not bring herself to put into words the events of previous weeks. Everything had passed by in a blur of sunrises and sunsets that the rogue woman had no interest in viewing. Daylight hours were spent in the confines of her spacious, but unfurnished, master bedroom in her newly acquired estate, while her long nights passed by in spurts of fits, night terrors, and insomnia.

The chair screeched in resistance as Elanna pushed back and stood abruptly, the blood rushing upwards and causing her to become lightheaded. Shuffling her feet along the floor, she did not even flinch when she felt the a wooden splinter pierce her bare foot. She'd tend to it later, so why bother, she had thought to herself as she entered the large bathroom adjacent to her sleeping quarters.

Leaning up against a dusty, marble sink, Elanna dragged her tired eyes up to the oval looking-glass in front of her. The innate glisten given off by her lace like, lyrium design caught the woman's gaze. Her eyes immediately darkened: the lyrium was another reminder of a time Elanna was desperately trying to ignore.

Running her fingers over her face lightly, she pinched it, forcing the color to rise into her cheeks and liven up her appearance. Elanna scowled at her reflection as she tugged at the thin skin below her eyes.

_When did these dark circles get so bad? And my skin... It's so ghastly..._

Even though the lyrium scars were nearly the same color as her skin, Elanna couldn't avoid staring at them as she eyed the looking glass. How could anyone _not_ notice the designs that dipped in around her eyes and outlined the shape of her entire face? Ironically, the lyrium seemed to be the liveliest feature on the woman's body, glittering as light or shadow passed over them when she moved her face from side to side.

The sound of shattering glass refocused Elanna's wandering attention back to the present. She looked down, and saw shards of glass embedded in her right hand.

Somehow, her right hand had made a fist.

And somehow, her fist had shattered the looking glass.

She snickered and brushed the larger chunks of glass free from her skin, her markings now glowing a bright, white color. "Oh well... at least I'm not truly hopeless..." she muttered aloud as she shook her hand and grabbed a small cloth to wrap her injury.

Even if what Elanna was feeling was only physical pain, at least she was feeling _something_. This was a major success for her.

* * *

**-Fenris-**

* * *

A sharp, rapping noise rattled Fenris from his thoughts as he sat in utter darkness in his mansion. Slowly placing one foot in front of the other, he crept towards the door soundlessly, his greatsword at the ready by his side. Bending low to the ground like a cat about to pounce, Fenris unlatched the mansion's front door, seeing it open slightly.

But, someone was too quick for the elf, and grabbed his wrists before he could react. His weapon was forced to drop at his feet, and his lyrium scars flared as it sent electric pulses along his body. Fenris would recognize a lyrium reaction like that anywhere.

"Hawke?"

"Let me in..._now_."

Elanna's eyes shone like silver fire as she shoved Fenris back into the shadows. He felt slender hands grip his shoulders with impatience as the door slammed shut.

She was, after all, his equal- - - his _complete_ equal- - - ever since Danarius branded her months before as a lyrium warrior. Even if he wanted to resist (which he didn't), he wouldn't always be able to physically match her skills.

He suddenly found it difficult to answer her. "I- I thought you and the abomination- - -"

"Shut up, and kiss me."

His hands were around her waist in a moment, and he pulled her further into the shadows. No candles had been lit, and the fire remained dead in its hearth; and yet, Fenris could still see the outline of her face and arms from the lyrium's light. Elanna yanked him to her and moaned as their lips met in a series of hungry kisses. Her mouth found his neck, and her actions slowed, almost as if to torture him- - - Fenris instinctively reached out to her touch. She breathed into his ear, making him nearly growl as desire consumed him with heat that spread throughout his body.

"_Festis bei umo canavarum..._" he said in a gasp as she began kissing closer and closer to the sensitive areas of his pointed ears. He felt her smirk against face, her hands cupped over his ear as if to whisper a secret.

"Then you will die a very..._very_, happy elf- - -"

...｡. o.｡. o.｡. o.｡. o...

Fenris awoke with a start, nearly falling out of his cot.

"_Fasta vass..._" he swore bitterly as he ran trembling fingers through his damp hair. It was the third time this week such graphic dreams infiltrated his sleeping mind, and Fenris always ended up in the same sweaty, heart-pounding state. He brought his knees up to his chin, and found it hard to steady his breathing. His lyrium outlined muscles gleamed in the early morning sun, refusing to relax.

_These dreams...they must stop_, he thought as he shut his eyes tightly. _After all...she doesn't remember the nights spent together with me..._

A small smile touched his lips when he remembered the intimate moments he and Elanna shared on two separate occasions. It wasn't like they had "slept" together, in that sense, or had nights of merely fulfilling carnal desires.

No, the moments Fenris thought of were much more innocent in nature- - - moments that meant much more to Fenris than he cared to admit. His smile faded.

_The first time our lips touched...she was so weary and tired...I merely provided a way for her to sleep peacefully. It most likely meant nothing...no more than a thank you. And the second time,_ he thought as his fingers gripped his knees so hard it turned his knuckles white. _The second time we were inebriated...caught up in the fantasy induced by the Agreggio..._

He shook his head and yelled as loudly as he could to try and drown out the memories that plagued him. The mansion yelled back its answer in a ghostly echo that signaled to Fenris just how alone he truly was.

One thought in particular played in his mind, no matter how often Fenris tried to block it out: the fact was that there was always a reason that he and Hawke's interactions could be explained away as simple coincidences or one-time occurrences.

Getting up, he stomped around the room in aggravation. After all Hawke had been through, after losing both her siblings, and having lyrium branded into her skin, why should he be thinking about where he and Hawke stood in a romantic sense?

The guilt that now consumed him made him feel- - -unclean- - - and he hurried to the bathing room to fill the large stone basin with water.

Keeping his body moving distracted Fenris, forcing the unwelcome thoughts and feelings back down into the recesses of his mind. He poured heated water into the tub, and his eyes wandered to follow the steam as it floated up, dissipating like smoky tendrils snaking its way along the cracked ceiling. The walls around him seemed to wail and ache as the morning air blew through the crevices and faults that lined the mansion. Fenris sighed in agreement as he eased himself into the water.

_Focus_, he told himself while inhaling deeply. Slowly, his thoughts melted away, and a thin peacefulness replaced the shame and turmoil that had been brewing inside him.

Suddenly, his right hand flared bright blue along his scars. Gripping it with his other hand, Fenris hissed at the pain now running along his arm.

"Hawke..." he whispered as he studied his hand and flexed his long fingers.

He scrubbed his body and hair quickly, his hand still pulsing and burning as he performed his morning rituals.

...｡. o.｡. o.｡. o.｡. o...

_I shouldn't..._ he debated with himself as he draped a towel around his hips while looking for the leggings and armor he normally wore during the day. _She has _him_ to take care of her pain...whatever pain she's feeling..._ he thought with a snarl as he fastened his arm bracers in swift, practiced movements.

He balled his hand, certain of his convictions when the pain would not lessen. Ever since the time of Danarius' lyrium ritual on Hawke, Fenris learned he experienced Elanna's emotions first-hand through physical touch. Positive emotions such as happiness and contentment sent warm, pleasant feelings along his markings, while other emotions such as fear and anxiety jolted him with feelings of nausea or varying degrees of discomfort.

Fenris originally assumed that he and Hawke must have some sort of physical contact for him to receive such bursts of interconnectedness, but recently, things changed. Now, his lyrium scars would activate without any cause, sending a myriad of different emotions coursing through his veins. It was as if he and Hawke were mentally intertwined without even having to be in the same room. He suspected it had something to do with Hawke's move to Hightown when she inherited her estate. They were now practically neighbors. And although he had not seen Hawke in over two weeks, he kept a keen watch over her by monitoring his own lyrium reactions. And with his lyrium flaring up without any provocation, he knew he would be heading over to Hawke's estate to check on her.

* * *

**::during the same time::**

* * *

**-Hawke-**

* * *

Anders found her face down on a bed, a bloody hand dangling limply over the side.

He bent down close to her, and picked up the soiled gauze he found lying on the floor. "Hawke?" he said softly, pushing back her long, wavy hair back behind her ear until he could see her face. "Hawke, what's this?"

She stirred, but remained silent as Anders lifted up her injured hand.

"Here, let's get you patched up, hmm?" he said, calling upon his healing powers as he held Hawke's hand in his.

Hawke murmured as his magic felt pleasant over her body. She immediately regretted encouraging him, however, for that was the last thing she wanted to do. Within minutes, her hand was completely mended, and Anders was now massaging the back of her neck gently.

_I really should just tell him to leave me alone... it's not like I even like him in that- - -_

"Hawke?"

"What?"

"I had asked how you bloodied your hand like that."

Too weary to argue with him, Elanna lifted a hand lazily and pointed to the next room.

"Ah-hah," Anders exclaimed in a voice a bit too happy for Hawke as he found the broken mirror, "So here's the culprit. Accidents happen, I know, but this is a quick fix with my magic so - - -"

Elanna rolled her eyes and buried her head back into her pillow to stifle a groan.

_Sure_, Elanna thought while Anders was out of the room, _use the same magic to fix my blighted mirror that murdered my sister. Nice one..._

"Oh, by the way, I stopped by Gamlen's to pick up your mail. Looks like you have quite a few requests piling up. I'll tell the mail carriers you live here from now on."

Elanna spoke into her pillow, "Did it ever occur to you that I don't _want_ people knowing my address? Maybe I don't want mail..."

"What's that, Love?"

She cringed when he called her that, but nevertheless tried to answer him in a patient voice.

"Nothing."

Anders walked briskly over to her bedside, and sat down beside Elanna, clearly undeterred.

"Anyways, I've brought you some potions that should perk you up a bit, so take them while I head over to the market for some supplies for the clinic. I'll pick us up some breakfast as well as something to eat for the next few days, so I'll be back a little later than I had originally planned. You should try and get out while the weather's nice, don't you think? "

She mumbled something Anders took as a sign of agreement, and proceeded to exit the mansion shortly afterwards.

_It's like he's already moved in_, Elanna thought to herself, annoyed, as she walked towards the kitchen on the opposite end of the home. She limped slightly as the splinter in her heel finally started to hurt her. _I better check all of the armoires later to make sure he hasn't _actually_ brought clothes here...it is my house, damn it, I should- - -_

A familiar, warm, humming crossed Elanna's mind which made her stop dead in her tracks. She knew the wordless melody just as sure as she knew the back of her hand. She also knew no one else could hear what she did.

It only happened when he was near her. It only happened because _Fenris_ was somewhere close by.

Footsteps quickening ever so slightly, Hawke tentatively opened the door, the morning sunlight nearly blinding her in the process. Looking around expectantly, she was slightly surprised at the amount of disappointment she felt when there was no one there.

_Of course he's not here...why would he be here..._ Elanna reasoned with herself.

A folded note caught her eye just before she closed the door once again. Picking it up, she read it aloud in a quiet voice:

**_Mistress Hawke:_**

**_I do not know who else to turn to, no one will listen to a young, slave girl such as myself. I need your help. I managed to escape my master recently, but my friend, my only friend, is still being kept against her will._**

**_Please help me free her. I will be in Darktown after the Chantry bell strikes 12. I will be wearing a yellow sash around my waist with a red ring in my ear._**

**_You are my only hope._**

**_-X_**

Elanna looked up from the note, her mind feeling as if it were learning to work again. It was finally her time to begin making amends for her sister's death, and Elanna intended on starting with this girl. But first, Hawke needed equipment if she planned on facing slavers. She tried to jog back over to her room where her armor was stowed, but had to stop to pluck the splinter out of her foot.

Throwing a chest's lid wide open, Elanna hesitated momentarily as she looked down at the red and black rogue's equipment and weapons that lay neatly inside. Fenris had gifted her the entire set, and had even lined everything with furs and feathers of rare animals. Her eyes softened in gratitude at the elf's thoughtfulness- - -lining her equipment in this way ensured Elanna was free from the searing misery her lyrium markings inflicted upon her when they brushed up against almost anything.

Her eyes clouded over, and a frown replaced her expression once more as she thought about him. There was no way in Thedas that Fenris would forgive her for hurting him the way she did. _It is pointlessly depressing to even think about it_, Elanna would tell herself when her thoughts would run away with her.

Walking back one last time to the bathing room to fix her hair into a somewhat decent style, Hawke's annoyance escalated when she realized Anders had indeed fixed her shattered mirror. She activated the lyrium in her fist and punched the mirror with all her might, totally obliterating the mirror beyond repair.

_If I want to break my own blighted mirror, it better stay bloody broken..._

She walked out of her Hightown mansion with a dark smirk of satisfaction.

Taking out the note from her pocket, Hawke examined it once more. _I am her only hope_, she repeated, the words etched onto the page becoming burned into her mind.

She was needed. Someone was in trouble, and she was going to save them. And she didn't need to put Fenris, Anders, or Varric in any sort of danger. She stopped and listened for a second, forcing her thoughts to quiet. There was no sign of Fenris in her mind, and with one last look in the direction of Danarius' old mansion, Hawke disappeared around the corner, heading over to Darktown for the first solo mission of her life.

_After what happened to Bethany..._ Hawke's mind echoed as her boots pounded steadily on the cobblestone pavement, _I'll make sure that never happens again._

* * *

Two pairs of steely eyes watched her leave the mansion.

"You think she bought it?" a young, feminine voice asked.

"Oh yes," purred a masculine voice nearby, "What better way to catch a slave than to impersonate one?"

The cloaked woman shifted nervously, "Hadriana should be pleased. Once we get the lyrium slave to her, she'll make us her apprentices, so don't screw this up."

The man sounded cross as he addressed his fellow companion, "Just make sure everything's in place, and I'll initiate phase two of the plan..."

Now the woman had a hand on her hip. " And what of her mage lover? Wouldn't he realize something is amiss?"

The man scoffed at her in return. "Hadriana pieced together the doppelgänger with her own blood after sending us to watch the slave for weeks. It's foolproof, so stop your sodded whining."

...｡. o.｡. o.｡. o.｡. o...

If Fenris had stayed longer, if he would have waited until Anders had left, he would have seen the suspicious people lurking around Elanna's home. He would have seen Hawke dressed for combat, and he would have made sure she remained safe. But after seeing Anders exit the estate, Fenris did not even bother looking up in front of him as he returned to the familiar shadows of his borrowed mansion. He convinced himself that, now more than ever, Elanna had chosen to love a human mage rather than waste her affection on an elven slave.

Instead of seeing the peril Hawke was about to face, he prayed to the Maker for a dreamless sleep.


	2. Back and Forth

**Welcome to chapter 2! Thanks to everyone who has read, liked, and reviewed my work so far...it's meant a lot to me! This chapter has a lot of POV switching around while following the same timeline. In other words, the POVs are very much overlapping in this part, so I thought I'd give you a heads up. Enjoy!**

* * *

**-Hawke-**

* * *

Breaking into a jog down the cobbled path ahead of her, Elanna hummed a tune under her breath.

_The air feels fresh again_, she thought to herself as she easily wove in and out of people and stalls that lined the area.

As she continued to trek to her destination, her mood lifted, and life seeped back into her being, the feeling cool and revitalizing to a body made stale by weeks of sedation. By now the sun was directly overhead, its reluctant warmth an indication that spring was just around the corner. Hawke felt her heart beating rapidly in anticipation.

Skimming the sea of faces around her, Elanna browsed through the midday shoppers, eliminating them one by one. _Elven girl...nope, wrong clothes...guy... guy...elven guy...girl- - -_

There, standing near the stall at the furthest corner of the market was an elven girl matching the description in Hawke's letter.

"H-Hello," came the meek reply, "My name is Orana...I-I am to meet you here?"

_Poor girl, _Elanna thought to herself as she looked Orana over, _She must not have been a free elf for very long..._

"Yes, of course," Hawke replied in a soothing voice, "You wrote that letter, didn't you? About helping your friend?"

Large eyes shut as she shook her head. "Oh no, _Messere_, I am afraid I do not know how to write..."

Hawke's cheeks burned from embarrassment. "Oh, I- I'm sorry...I didn't realize..."

Suddenly, the space between Orana and Elanna rippled in an array of many colors. "Excellent, Slave-girl," a woman's voice echoed eerily.

Hawke took a step back in surprise when the woman appeared out of thin air. Elanna's eyes widened in the split second it took for the woman to gag her with what she knew to be blood magic. Her screams were muffled as two men posing as shop owners whisked her away from the busy, afternoon streets of Kirkwall.

* * *

**::during this same time:**:

**-Fenris-**

* * *

By this time, Fenris was heading back to his mansion when he saw the dwarf, Varric, standing outside of his door. With much insisting on Varric's part, Fenris finally agreed to do a bit of shopping in Hightown.

"Two pairs of eyes are always twice as able to spot a good deal!" He had said with a hearty laugh.

Even if Fenris had some serious doubts about the dwarf's logic (which he did), how could he turn him away when Maker knew _how _long he had been waiting on the mansion's steps for Fenris to return?

Within a few steps, the dwarf and Fenris found themselves in the middle of the Hightown market. Various vendors gestured to the pair to get them to view their wares; and even though elves may be seen as second, or even third-class citizens, a _rich _elf like Fenris got the attention of all the shop owners. After all, word spread rapidly throughout Kirkwall (no doubt, thanks to Varric) that Hawke and her companions all had more coin than they knew what to do with.

After grabbing a few small sandwiches for lunch, Varric and Fenris continued looking around, and stopped to browse a particularly interesting weapons' stall.

Varric happily perused the equipment in the stall he could use to mend Bianca, but Fenris' eyes remained unfocused as his mind wandered. _It was irrational of me to run away so easily_, he thought with a sigh.

Suddenly, his lyrium markings flashed over his entire body, and white and yellow colors streaked across his vision.

He froze. _Wha-? _Fenris throught for a moment about what it meant before coming to a conclusion._ Fear. Definitely fear...but, what could it have been- - -_

He began to walk quickly away from the stall, trying to clear his head. His thoughts were interrupted when he ran into someone. The woman staggered back a few steps, but swiftly regained her balance, and turned to face the elf.

"Whoa, someone must be in a hurry," the woman said in a soft voice. "Where are you going in such a rush?"

Fenris blinked several times before his eyes truly focused on the woman's face. His eyebrows knit in confusion.

"E-Elanna?"

The woman busied herself by brushing off the dirt from her trousers, and did not meet his gaze. "Yup, that's my name," she replied.

And while Hawke recaptured her composure with ease, Fenris was not so fortunate. "I-It is good to see you again," he tried, fumbling over his words as he nearly hopped in place.

Varric looked up to see Fenris and Hawke not too far away from him. He paid for his purchase and walked over to them.

"Well, today _is_ Wednesday, is it not?" Hawke said as she toyed with a gold coin between her fingertips.

He cocked a wary eyebrow at her. "It is..."

"Well, that can only mean it's Wicked Grace Night tonight!"

"Ah, yes," Fenris replied, truly studying her expression in earnest now, "You are correct."

He could feel a frown forming as he continued to look at Hawke. _I have not seen her in two weeks, and yet...something seems different about her_..._more different than a mere two weeks can do..._

"Don't scowl like that, or your face'll get stuck," Hawke replied with a laugh. "So I'll see you and Varric at the Hanged Man later?"

"Sure, yeah... _great_," Fenris responded awkwardly as he watched the woman brush past him.

"Good," she called over her shoulder, "because I've got to buy some things for Anders so I'm counting on winning back the coin from everyone else tonight."

Fenris stared blatantly as Hawke sauntered away, his mind unable to form thoughts to even describe the emotion he felt at that moment. Varric watched the interaction, the sadness he felt for his elven friend expertly hidden by the constant look of good-humor upon his face. But, when Fenris approached him, Varric felt his smile falter.

"Does she seem a bit- - -" Fenris paused, looking for the right word before continuing, "...'off' to you?"

"She looks _happy_, Elf, if that's what you mean," the dwarf replied as he pat his friend on the back.

...｡. o.｡. o.｡. o.｡. o...

**-Hawke-**

The stars twinkled in the velvety, black sky as Elanna gazed up at them.

She heard a hesitant whisper coming from the shadows. "I didn't know my Mistress was going to kidnap you, _Messere_..."

Pity moved her heart as Hawke addressed her. "It's all right," she replied as she motioned for the girl to step into the moonlight, "You were just following orders."

The elven girl, Orana, moved soundlessly over to where Elanna was imprisoned, and knelt beside the slightly glowing bars. Orana's eyes softened with what looked like sadness and guilt as she sat near the woman; Hawke saw her staring at the shackles and neck piece that bound her. Elanna had heard bits and pieces of Fenris' time as a slave, and she knew that collaring certain, more powerful, slaves like Qunari mages was a particular favorite of Danarius and his associates. It also didn't help that the glowing bars that kept her contained were infused with blood magic so Elanna's lyrium would be useless against them. Hadriana had left no stone unturned when it came to ensuring Elanna's capture.

Hawke was trapped like a bird in a cage, and she knew it.

"You shouldn't eat that," Orana said, her voice cutting through Elanna's musings. "She likes to put spells on the food: sometimes you are thirsty for a long time no matter how much you drink, and sometimes you'll just go to the bathroom all the time."

Elanna spit out the half eaten loaf of bread she had been munching on so eagerly moments before. She watched the girl outside of her cage digging into the earth with a stick she had found. Like many others, Hawke suspected Orana had trouble looking into her silver eyes.

"You look like him, you know," Orana continued, her voice solemn in the night air. "My mistress' master had a slave like you..."

Elanna felt her chest tighten as she breathed the name that had always been in her mind.

* * *

**-Fenris-**

* * *

The elf bearing that name sat up in bed, looking around for the phantom voice that seemed to call to him in his dreams. The voice- - - _her_ voice- - - had sounded so crystal clear he thought she had whispered it into his ear herself. Stretching his long limbs in a cat-like fashion, Fenris forced his feet to take him over to the nearest water sink, stuck his mouth under the running water, and drank greedily as if he had not had a drink in days.

* * *

**-Day 2 of Captivity-**

* * *

The sun rose over the horizon of the land just like it had done every day prior- - - Elanna watched as the light's rays gently woke up the nature around her. It was the second day being held captive in a cage she could barely stand in, and Hawke was beginning to wonder if she would ever get out alive. Going without food and water was beginning to take its toll on the woman, and yet, when Hadriana held a plate of food in front of her, she had no plans of listening to her captor.

"Beg for it, maggot," Hadriana hissed as she waved the food near her.

Elanna remained at the corner of the cage with her back turned towards the mage. "I rather enjoy being on a diet, frankly..."

"INSOLENT SCUM!" she screamed in a shrill voice that made Hawke's teeth hurt, "I am your _master_, and I will _make_ you behave like the slave that you are."

"Hadriana," a man dressed in brown pants and a loose-fitting, white shirt said as he approached the woman. Hadriana puffed in aggravation before facing the man.

"Well?" she asked, the whine once again apparent in her voice. "What's taking so blighted long?"

A snicker came from Elanna's cage. "Maybe they just don't like you- - -"

"Silence!"

The man waiting until Hadriana turned her attention back to him. "It will take another three days for the ship to come and take us back to Tevinter."

Elanna sat down tailor-style in her cage. It was a hard pill to swallow to think that she, too, would become a slave. She shook her head to keep from screaming.

_Aren't I supposed to be some awesome warrior? Am I not supposed to be some fearless leader? Then why can't I get myself out of here?!_

...｡. o.｡. o.｡. o.｡. o...

The hours crawled forward with Elanna studying the position of the sun to tell time.

_Doesn't anyone know I'm missing? For all of his fussing and doting, wouldn't Anders notice my absence? Wouldn't- - -_

She cut her thoughts off as she curled up on the hard ground. No, Fenris had not been by to visit her for two weeks now. Elanna drew a crude face of an elf with tattoos using the loose dirt, but she wiped the earth clean the moment she felt the first teardrop fall.

The only thing Hawke had to eat or drink that day was a pitcher of water- - - _After all_, Elanna thought to herself, _Orana says she only enchants the food, right?_

Unfortunately for rogue woman, she was wrong.

* * *

_Elanna looked down at her hands, but could not see them. Darkness was everywhere she looked, acting like a thick soup Hawke could not see through. Although she knew she was dreaming, she still felt the urge to explore the place. She smiled when large round lights popped up as if to line her path._

_Thankful to have a light in such a dark abyss, Elanna scooped up the nearest, glowing orb. The light began to dim slowly, and the shape of the globe morphed simultaneously. _

_Elanna now held the severed head of her sister, Bethany, in the palms of her hands. _

"_You..." Bethany wailed as one of her eyes began to melt off of her skull. "It's all your fault...all of it..."_

_Hawke threw the head as far away as she could before sprinting away from the light sources. _

_No matter how hard her legs pumped to try and run away, Elanna remained stationary. _

_The heads were quick to catch up. "I needed you..." Carver's head cried. Elanna watched in horror as his skull cracked down the center and oozed maggots, bugs, and bits of brains out from the crevice. "why didn't you stop me from fighting that ogre?"_

"_I...I TRIED_!" Elanna sobbed as tears burned her lyrium scars even in her nightmares.

_She whirled away from Carver, trying to get away from the morbid echoes that hunted her. The last face she saw made her heart hurt so badly, Elanna clutched her chest. _

_It was Fenris- - - and half of his face was charred down to the bone while the other half had already begun to rot. "I thought I could count on you...but, I guess I was wrong..."_

"_You_ can_!" Elanna implored as she attempted to reach out to Fenris. The head floated just out of her reach. "I was wrong...so wrong about you..."_

_Elanna fell, wrapped her arms around her knees, and buried her face while she screamed to wake up._

_The heads floated around her constantly, shouting obscenities or reminding Hawke of her failures and mistakes._

* * *

**-Fenris- **

* * *

Earlier during the day, Anders, Hawke, and Isabela stopped by Fenris' mansion to request his aide in slaying dragonlings that had been terrorizing the outer city farms. He had to stop himself from glowing in anger every few minutes thanks to Anders and Hawke's obnoxious displays of public flirtation.

_It is as if she wishes to rub it in my face how happy she is with that wretched abomination_, he thought darkly as he watched Hawke playing with the feathers on the mage's signature coat.

If she didn't have her hands running through the feathers on Anders' cloak, she would be toying with the gems on his mage's staff, especially if his hands were there as well. As for Anders, he grinned so much his cheeks began to hurt.

And yet, each time their eyes met, Fenris could not shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong with Hawke's gaze. The face, eyes and expression he had spent so many days (and for a time, many nights) studying seemed to have shifted. When Elanna used look at him happily, it would remind Fenris of looking into silver, molten lava: a bright, ever-changing color that remained mysterious, yet warm. When saddened, the silver lyrium in her eyes would fade and become the color of rainwater falling on a glass pane.

But now- - -now, as Fenris would catch a glimpse of her expression, it appeared to him that her actions and words did not match the flat, lifeless color present in her eyes.

...｡. o.｡. o.｡. o.｡. o...

Six times during that night, Fenris woke up screaming inside a dark mansion that merely shuddered its reply. Try as he might, he could not remember the nightmares- - - he only knew that he had never felt so scared before in his life.

The fear he felt, however strong, was also foreign in his mind. He watched the lyrium scars on his body pulsate like a beating heart.

_What is happening to me? Are my lyrium reactions not what I originally thought them to be? _

That night he got little rest, never truly waking nor dreaming after the last nightmare tore at his subconscious mind. He finally got some sleep, clutching his giant greatsword to his chest while he lay on his back facing a blank wall.

* * *

**-Day 3 of Captivity-**

* * *

Although it was only the third day she had been held hostage, Elanna hadn't eaten an actual meal in four days.

Hadriana addressed her in a melodic voice as she asked Hawke,"Aww, is the little lyrium girl hungry?"

_She has so many moods, I don't know what to believe anymore_, Elanna thought as she eyed the mage wearily.

"If you ask _nicely_, maybe I'll give you some yummy food. Would you like that, Paccipita, dear?"

Elanna outwardly flinched: "Paccipita" or "Little Hawke" had been the Tevene nickname given to her by Danarius himself.

Orana's soft voice seemed to come out of nowhere. "Just do what she says- - -"

"I did _not_ give you permission to speak, you knife-eared swine!" Hadriana spat before turning to face Elanna once again.

She snapped her fingers, and the tray she had in her hands filled itself with a plethora of cakes, cookies, breads, and jellies. The food piled so high onto the tray that when Hadriana shoved it over to Elanna, cakes and chunks of bread were constantly falling over the sides.

_Anders...Anders had an experience with magicked food like this..._ Hawke thought as she searched through Anders' memories that she had obtained due to an accident in getting her own memory back months prior.

_It isn't meant to be consumed by humans, _the phrase repeated itself over and over again in Elanna's mind as she tried to refuse the food in front of her.

Hadriana yanked Elanna's wrist cuffs so hard she rammed into the magical barrier of her cage, causing her vision to blur and her lyrium scars to burn her with intense pain. She felt spider-like, rough fingers clamping down on her face, and forcing her mouth open. The mage woman shoved a bread roll down Elanna's throat, causing her to gag and thrash about as she attempted to resist. Finally, Hawke had no choice but to swallow the bread to keep from suffocating.

"Oh, but you mustn't be full from just _that_..." Hadriana drawled, "You must have more- - -"

Two hours passed in this manner, and Elanna became so full she eventually became sick. Hadriana only stopped her torture to laugh as Hawke curled up in a fetal position once she had finished vomiting for the third time.

"Get what little sleep you can, Rogue-child," the mage said as she sniffed the air in disgust, "for it will be the last sleep you have as a free human..."

...｡. o.｡. o.｡. o.｡. o...

It was evening on the third day when Hadriana's minions strapped Elanna down on the ground, and stripped her of her shoes to expose her bare feet.

Her screams mingled with the sound of hissing flesh as a brand bearing Hadriana's crest was plunged into her heel.

* * *

"ARGH!" Fenris moaned as a searing pain shot through the lyrium markings on his right foot.

He stumbled as he felt as if his foot had been set afire. His eyes darted around, expecting to see an enemy nearby, but the deafening sounds of drunkards and card games drowned out his concentration. Fenris rubbed the sole of his foot, cursing under his breath as people began to stare at him while he glowed. He looked at Hawke some distance away, whispering something into Anders' ear while sitting on his lap. It did not look as if she were suffering at all. Fenris thought for a moment before his eyes darkened, and his face contorted into a grizzly snarl.

He approached the couple. "Can I- - -" he reached out for Hawke, "speak to you for a moment?"

Curling his long, slender fingers around her wrist, Fenris pulled her until she was standing several feet away from the rest of the group.

He ran his hands over the lyrium on her lower arm.

_Nothing._

Moving quickly now, he gripped her hands in his, rubbing their scars together.

_Nothing_.

There was no spark of light as he brushed their palms together. There was no insight into Hawke's feelings that typically coursed through his veins upon contact. The Hawke that stood before him merely stared back with a hallowed smile.

That was all the evidence Fenris needed to prove he was right. His grip on Hawke tightened.

"Who are you?!"

Hawke's eyes remained unfazed, but her voice broke. "I-I don't have any idea what you mean- - -"

He locked her neck in vice, his armored gauntlets digging into the woman's skin. Blood dripped from her neck instantly, and Varric and Anders jumped to their feet.

"Whoa, Elf!- - -"

"Have you gone completely mental?!"

In an instant, Fenris separated Hawke from her companions, dragging her away while she kicked and tried to scream. People scattered out of the Hanged Man faster than Varric would have thought possible. Soon, Hawke's group was all that was left.

"Who created you?!" Fenris roared, filling the room with resounding hate.

"No one!"

"You're really scaring the shit outa' me, Elf," Varric said slowly while he reached behind his back, "And Bianca doesn't like to go against her friends., but, she will if she has to..."

Varric lifted the large crossbow, aiming it straight for Fenris' heart. Fenris ignored the threat, and instead applied even more pressure to Hawke's neck while slightly twisting it in an attempt to show he would break her neck eventually.

"WHO?!"

Hawke's arms fell to her side as a strangled laugh escaped her lips. "If I tell you, will you let me go?"

The group gawked at the woman's response, and Varric lowered Bianca down by his side. Fenris leaned in as the impostor Hawke whispered something in his ear.

"_Hadriana_," Fenris growled, hate dripping from his words, "I should have _known! _She'll never leave me be!"

Olive-green eyes flashed back to Hawke, and in an instant, Fenris had his hand through her chest to crush her heart. But, instead of a lifeless body crumbling to the ground with Fenris clutching a still-beating organ, the imposter's body merely disintegrated into dust.

"She _will_ pay," Fenris growled as his body erupted in bright, blue light.

He flew out of Hanged Man in less than a second, not bothering to wait for the others to follow him, or even to react. This was Fenris' fight, and his alone; he would finally get the chance to deal rightful vengeance to a bloodmage who hounded his sleep, denied his meals, and caused unbelievable amounts of pain all those years ago.

* * *

Several miles outside of the city, Elanna's eyes sprung open as her gaze forced herself to look westward from her campsite.

_Anger...? Anger...does he know I'm missing?_ Hawke thought as she squinted into the darkness in front of her.

She knew it was crazy to even try, but Elanna knew she had to try and reach out to Fenris the only way she knew how. Squeezing her eyes shut, she slowed her breathing. An itch was put out of her mind, and her thoughts slowed to a trickle. She envisioned Fenris in her mind, from the tanned color of his skin to the smell of mint and pine that was his familiar scent. Hawke then focused on the hope that she felt- - -the hope that Fenris would find her, and the hope that she would remain free and alive. Exhaling loudly, she shouted as loud as she could in her mind.

_Find me, Fenris!_

...｡. o.｡. o.｡. o.｡. o...

A warm, wonderful feeling coursed through Fenris' lyrium markings causing him to smirk: It was hope.

He knew he was on the right track.

_Has she figured out the secret to our lyrium connection as well?_

...｡. o.｡. o.｡. o.｡. o...

A humming in Elanna's mind grew quickly stronger, heading in her direction. "There," she whispered, standing up abruptly.

Unfortunately, one of Hadriana's scouts also noticed a glowing elf heading their way, too. "M'lady," the man said as he ran towards her. "An attacker is coming from the west. I think it's one of the lyrium warriors- - -"

Elanna saw the mage woman turn pale at the news. "Shit," she said as she began pacing around the campfire. Finally, she whirled around, and shouted an order at the messenger. "Prepare the old elf for bloodletting!"

Hawke's heart sank to her feet, for she knew the only "old elf" Hadriana could possibly be referring to was none other than Orana's father. But, Elanna had little time to dwell upon that before Hadriana descended upon her as well.

The bars of her cage melted before Elanna's eyes. "Let's see if you are such an improvement after all..." Hadriana cooed while pointing a finger for Hawke to approach her. Although she made no voluntary movements, Elanna's collar and shackles forced her body into motion, bringing her to stand next to Hadriana.

The humming in Elanna's mind was so loud now, she was almost certain she could make out words from the music the lyrium emitted. A blinding, blue form appeared before the rogue woman and her captor.

"FENRIS!"

The glow faded, and Hawke saw the face of the elf she knew so well. Fenris looked around before spotting her. "Elanna!?"

"Shut up!" Hadriana snapped as she waved her hands in a circular motion. Hawke clung to her side. "I'm surprised you came for this little wrench..." Hadriana said, carefully backing up to create space between her and Fenris. "She's only been here a few days, and she's already proven to be quite the little bitch- - -"

Wrapping her arms around Elanna's waist, Hadriana hissed an incantation in Tevene. The white, shimmering tattoos covering Hawke's body erupted in the brightest light Fenris had ever seen; even Elanna's eyes glowed like beacons.

The light was not without direction, however- - -it was all being channeled into Hadriana's fingertips, and spread along every blood vessel and vein until all of Elanna's light filtered into the mage's body.

Elanna slumped to the ground like a lifeless child's toy.

Hadriana's body shimmered. "Ah, nothing quite like the feeling of fresh lyrium flowing through your veins."

Fenris stood still as he stared at Elanna's crumbled body. _"NO!"_

Fenris sprung into action, his greatsword scraping along the ground creating sparks before bringing it up to slice the woman in half. Hadriana teleported away, reappearing on top of a stony ledge high above the elf.

The mage lifted a bloody palm to the sky. "You can not defeat me, slave!"

Rage demons, pride demons, and shades rose up to surround Fenris, and he braced himself for an attack.

Fenris tapped into the deepest well of his power, causing the world around him to slow down to a stand-still, "I am _not _a slave!"

One by one, the demons fell, splattering their acidic blood that pooled around the area and caused the surrounding vegetation to instantly whither and die. And wave after wave, Hadriana would call in reinforcements, further fueling Fenris' adrenaline as he fought. With his greatsword by his side, Fenris effortlessly cut down each one until only the bloodmage remained.

Hadriana backed up against a rock wall before crouching down with her hands over her face."You do not want me dead!" she squealed like a pig before slaughter.

Fenris' face was the last she ever saw. "There is no one I wish to be dead more than you. I will enjoy crushing your heart- - -"

Hadriana gurgled her resistance as Fenris plunged a glowing hand into her chest to retrieve a heart Fenris knew was as black as the robes she wore.

Fenris' dark expression turned to one of sorrow when he looked over at Hawke.

* * *

Kneeling on the ground next to Elanna, he scooped the woman up in his arms. Her delicate hands hung limply by her sides.

"Come on, Elanna," Fenris breathed, his eyes searching her face for any sign of life.

He knew what Hadriana had done, for the same thing had been done to him by Danarius. The lyrium on warriors such as himself and Elanna could be used by mages when they needed a boost of power. But, due to the lyrium rituals that bound the power to their flesh, when mages drained the lyrium from their warriors, they drained the person's life force as well. That was the reason warriors such as himself were rare and highly valuable. Looking down at her pale complexion and even paler lips, Fenris was afraid Hadriana had drained _all_ of Elanna's energy.

He tapped her face to try and revive her. "Come on...come on...wake up for me, Elanna- - -"

Almond-shaped, silver eyes fluttered open. "My, aren't you a sight for tired eyes," Elanna croaked as she attempted a weak smile.

Fenris sighed, letting his body fully relax as he gazed at her for a moment.

"You're alive," he said, his face cracking into a rare smile while he brushed back the woman's dark hair behind her ears. "There was a moment when I thought...I thought- - -" his voice faded.

"Hah, takes more than what she did to kill me," Hawke chuckled before becoming serious once more. She continued, almost certain of the answer to the question she was about to ask. "How did you find me...?"

Elanna's voice faltered when Fenris turned to look into her eyes.

"I...I am unsure exactly how it works but I..." Fenris paused, noticing his hands interlocked with Elanna's. "I _feel_ things. The lyrium we share seems to be- - -interwoven- - - with one another."

"Ah, I see..." Hawke murmured, distracted by their lyrium beginning to react as she regained her strength.

Elanna looked over to see Orana staring at them like a lost puppy. She cleared her throat to get Fenris to look in the same direction, and immediately felt him tense up.

She spoke quickly before the moment was over, "U-um...Fenris, do you think we can talk one day...alone?"

"But of course," Fenris replied, helping Elanna to her feet before releasing her.

They each stepped away from each other awkwardly as Orana continued to watch them.

Fenris pretended to re-buckle his arm bracers as he addressed Hawke under his breath. "Meet me tomorrow at my mansion around noon?"

"Sounds like a date."

She didn't need to see Fenris' face to know that he gave her a one-sided grin in return.

_Finally_, Hawke thought as relief washed over her, _I'll finally be able to tell him the truth about what happened before Bethy died...the _whole _truth..._

With that settled, Hawke turned to face Orana, knowing that the girl's fate hung in her hands. She smiled, and Orana smiled back; in the end, Elanna was happy that she was in a position to help someone in need.

_Bethany would do the same thing_, Elanna thought to herself before approaching the elven girl.

"Orana," she said quietly, "What are your plans now?"


End file.
